Reggae

ARTICLES ABOUT REGGAE BY DATE - PAGE 2

Dawn Penn is the dance-hall diva who could get a reggae party started with the three words of her song: " No, No, No ... " Although Penn's career began in the rock-steady era of reggae in the '60s, it was her remake of "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" that restarted her career during the mainstream boom of dance hall in the '90s that included a popular club scene in the Chicago area at small joints like Club Dread, Union Hall and Cubby Bear to the major halls Exedus, Wild Hare and House of Blues.

If there's ever a hotel you'd want to hang out in for the decor alone, it'd probably be the Hard Rock Hotel on the Magnificent Mile. TravelZoo is offering a $109 hotel room deal ($10 extra on weekends) with this discount deal or type (DISTZF) in the corporate/promotion code field. Parking downtown can be stressful, but this deal includes complimentary valet parking and Wi-Fi. Considering the Park and Stay Package is booked up for February, this sounds like the best deal to go for if you plan on driving around Chicago.

Reggae artist Matisyahu doesn't have traditional reggae roots: He was born Matthew Miller and raised in a Jewish household. But the journey doesn't matter, because the end result is that Matisyahu has turned his love for reggae and hip-hop into the message and rhythms that make that reggae sound. Opening this show will be legends of that old-school reggae vibe, Toots and the Maytals, led by "Toots" Hibbert. The group stops in Chicago before its U.K. tour in celebration of the band's 50th anniversary.

The Wild Hare may be closed, but reggae lives on at the corner of Clark and Addison streets, thanks to Conscious Culture Chicago. The reggae and world music concert producers keep the rhythms alive with the Reggae in Wrigleyville music series at the Cubby Bear. The first show will be Saturday, with the regular run of the series on Thursdays (9 p.m.). Saturday's opener will have performances by Red Rat , left, with his distinctive, squirrely voice and playful dancehall, and Kofi , of Roots, Stem and Branches (RSB Band)

Late last Friday night, Chicagoans were streaming into the Wild Hare, a landmark reggae club in Wrigleyville. As the band Flex Crew played its buoyant music, young men and women swayed freely on the dance floor to a joyous beat, the palpable optimism of the sounds inspiring smiles all around. But the fun-loving scene at the Wild Hare – which has been presenting reggae on North Clark Street for 25 years – will end May 15. That's when Ethiopian owner-musician Zeleke Gessesse will close his widely admired club and prepare to open a new one in his homeland.

Reggae singer Barrington Levy, left, is still a familiar name and voice in the music halls of Jamaica. The "Mellow Canary" will offer up the soundtrack of his career, which began in the '70s, in this"History of Reggae" show at the House of Blues. That history includes a storied career in dancehall — he is considered the first dancehall singer — collaborating with some of the top DJs including Beenie Man, Lady Saw and Bounty Killer (yes, that's Levy on Bounty Killer's "Living Dangerously")

As a business professor at DePaul University, Michael A. Murray had an enthusiasm for knowledge that inspired confidence in even the most timid students. Students entered his classrooms terrified of the 2,000-page textbook, and left with a new love of business law. "He had this incredible ability to make people feel comfortable and allow people to do things they never imagined they'd be able to do," colleague Patrick J. Murphy said. "For a 70-year-old to be so cool and respected by all these 20-year-olds was really remarkable.

Although some may be waiting for the "Where Are They Now?" segment on Grammy Award-winner Shaggy , he really hasn't gone anywhere. Mr. Boombastic hasn't had a "Hot Shot" (2000) hit of late, but he is still making music and performing. Not on any big tours, or producing any major recordings (his latest was "Intoxication" in 2007). But we know for sure where Shaggy will be this Fourth of July weekend. He is headlining the International African Caribbean Festival of Life in Washington Park.

Just as it started to look like the reggae concert scene was a distant memory, the legendary Toots and the Maytals and Steel Pulse come to town. Toots Hibbert (one of the founding members of Toots and the Maytals) is the Jamaican-rooted music, having coined the phrase "reggae" in the '60s. And even though its origins are in England, Steel Pulse has been synonymous with reggae music since the '70s, with irie rhythms and lyrics of social commentary that epitomize the reggae vibe.

Alicia Keys is a bit too down to earth to fit in with the brigade of pop divas who have dominated the charts in the last decade: Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera. But she has more of a glamour quotient than singer-songwriter peers such as Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae. She's an accomplished pianist and songwriter who has racked up four multimillion-selling albums in a row, including her latest, "The Element of Freedom" (RCA). And she's popular enough to headline arenas.